Green New Deal

Thursday, February 14, 2019, 10am to 11:30 in the Meeting Room (behind the fireplace)

H.Res.109, aka the Green New Deal, was introduced in the House last week by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and it expected to come to the floor for a debate and a vote. A similar bill, introduced to the Republican controlled Senate by Ed Markey, is expected not to advance. Even though this bill does not have a chance of passing, it is forcing all potential presidential candidates to take sides. The political Right, will use this issue to paint Democrats as Socialist.

For our next meeting, we will discuss the Green Nrw Deal and its political ramifications. Here are some of the videos:

• Rep. Ocasio-Cortez proposing Green New Deal to fight climate change
• What is the 'Green New Deal?'
• Green New Deal Revealed - What's In It?
• Nominate a dealmaker or a candidate with a bold vision?
• Ocasio-Cortez's 'Green New Deal' receives praise, ridicule
• Tucker grills Ocasio-Cortez adviser over 'Green New Deal'

----------------------------------- Updated 2/13/19 ------------------------------

The Senate will vote on the Green New Deal after all.

• New Deal vote will be embarrassing for Democrats

----------------------------------- Updated 2/14/19 ------------------------------

Here are the other videos shown at the meeting:

• US Lawmakers Give Mixed Reviews to Ambitious Green New Deal Proposal
• What's the deal with the Green New Deal?  Fact Checker
• 2020 Democrats voice support for Ocasio-Cortez’s ‘Green New Deal’

SOTU 2019

Thursday, February 7, 2019, 10am to 11:30 in the Meeting Room (behind the fireplace)

Tonight is the State of the Union, that was delayed because of the shutdown. This Trump's last best chance to sell his Wall to the American public. Will he succeed?

The SOTU will begin in few hours. We will review what Trump said in our next meeting. Here are a few background video's for tonight's SOTU:

• How the State of the Union address turned into a prime-time event
• When did the State of the Union become such a polarizing political event
• President Donald Trump To Make Call For Unity In State Of The Union

--------------------------------------- Updated 2/8/19 ---------------------------------------

Here are the other videos shown at the meeting:

• Trump Delivers State of the Union Address to a Divided Congress
• State Of The Union Theater of the Absurd
• Trump touts unity in divisive State of the Union
• Reactions To Trump's State Of The Union
• Love the fact that Trump went after socialism

Crisis in Venezuela

Thursday, January 31, 2019, 10am to 11:30 in the Meeting Room (behind the fireplace)

For the next meeting, we will discus the latest crisis in Venezuela. The US has committed itself to force new elections and the rest of the world is taking sides. This could escalate into a military intervention. 

Here are the videos:

• What are the economic implications of Trump's Venezuela policy
• From riches to rags Venezuela's economic crisis
• Venezuela’s Maduro has lost the confidence of the public
• Who Is the New Self-Declared President of Venezuela
• CodePink Disrupts Pompeo Speech to Denounce U.S. Regime Change

----------------------------------- Updated 1/31/10 ---------------------------

Here are the rest of the videos shown at the meeting:

• Why Canada endorsed Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido
• Trump congratulates Venezuela's Guaido in phone call
• Putin Warns US Hands Off Venezuela

The Shutdown Economy

Thursday, January 24, 2019, 10am to 11:30 in the Meeting Room (behind the fireplace)

The government shutdown is now in its second month and soon its toll on the economy will be noticed by all. Will that mean that the shutdown will have to end? Not necessarily, since neither side is willing to give. Here are the videos for the meeting:

• Five ways the shutdown is affecting the economy
• The Government Shutdown Faces Lawsuits Over 'Involuntary Servitude'
• Trump doesn’t need to deliver a State of the Union address
• Nancy Pelosi: President Donald Trump ‘Outing’ Afghanistan Trip Is Very Dangerous
• No One Likes Trump's Latest Shutdown Offer

----------------------------------- Updated 1/24/19 ------------------------------------

Here are the other videos shown at the meeting:

• State of the Union address postponed until government shutdown ends
• President Trump spins asylum restrictions as humanitarian relief
• Senate to Vote Thursday on Proposals to End Government Shutdown
• Nancy Pelosi: President Donald Trump ‘Outing’ Afghanistan Trip Is Very Dangerous
• Middle Class Squeeze

How Will They End

Thursday, January 17, 2019, 10am to 11:30 in the Meeting Room (behind the fireplace)

The news has been dominated by long ongoing crisis, Brexit in the UK, the Yellow Vest protests in France, and in this country, the the government shutdown and the Trump-Russia investigation. All must somehow come to an end; we just don't know how. At our next meeting, we will discuss these events and what the eventual outcome will be. Here are the videos:

• Labour tables motion of no confidence in the government
• France to deploy 80,000 police as yellow vest protests continue
• Trump says shutdown will continue until Democrats cave
• Is Donald Trump Working For Russia

------------------------------- Updated 1/17/19 -------------------------------------

Here are the other videos shown at the meeting:

• PM Theresa May addresses MPs
• France Macron launches public debate on 'yellow vest' protests
• Stossel: Government Shutdown Shows Private Is Better
• UCLA gymnast's entertaining floor routine
• Grimace Puts Trump On The Hot Seat

Government Shutdown

Thursday, January 10, 2019, 10am to 11:30 in the Meeting Room (behind the fireplace)

For the next meeting, we will discuss the government shutdown, both the current state of affairs and the more general sense of the disfunction of our government. The current shutdown is still a developing story so I will delay the selection of a video for it. But the more general government dysfunction has been around a long time, so there is no lack of video material. Is the problem Trump, or the way we implement democracy, or democracy itself. Here are three videos which expounds on each of these possibilities.

• The world according to Trump
• The roots of America's democracy problem
• Why Socrates Hated Democracy

--------------------------------------- Updated 1/10/19 -------------------------------------

Here are the other videos shown at he meeting:

• US Government Shutdown, Funding Impasse Drag On
• Here’s What Will Happen if Trump Declares a State of Emergency

The World in Review 2018

Thursday, January 3, 2019, 10am to 11:30 in the Meeting Room (behind the fireplace)

For the first meeting of 2019, we will continue with our review of 2018 but with a more global view.  We will first look at the top 2018 stories as seen by Al Jazeera, which has a more global view than American media. We will also looked some overlooked stories in humanitarian crisises and climate change. Here are the videos for the meeting:

• A look at most memorable stories of 2018
• Humanitarian Crises Around the World Year in Review
• 13 Climate Stories You Might Have Missed in 2018

------------------------------------ Updated 1/3/19 -------------------------------

Here are the other videos shown at the meeting:

• Heavy rains, floods displace thousands of refugees in Syria
• Congo A land of riches
• NASA spacecraft survives risky encounter with faraway dark world
• Kilopower A Gateway to Abundant Power for Exploration

Information on nuclear energy legislation, as was discussed in the meeting, can be found HERE (NEIMA), HERE (NELA) and HERE (NEICA).